EC To Get Additional Ghc400m

An additional Ghc400 million is expected to be provided by government to the Electoral Commission to close a funding gap ahead of the November 7 general elections.

Parliament in December last year approved 826.8 million Ghana cedis for the Electoral Commission for the conduct of presidential and parliamentary elections in November.

The Commission had budgeted in excess of over 1.2 billion cedis for the polls, while 100 million Ghana cedis would be used for other administrative expenses. But Parliament approved less than what the EC had planned for, leaving a funding gap of almost GHC400 million.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on Monday, the deputy Finance Minister Casiel Ato Forson disclosed that government may have to look for other means to cough up further 400 million cedis to ensure that the EC is able to successfully organize the elections.

Forson added that government is looking at savings from ministries, department and agencies to be able to raise the additional GHC400 million.

“…the Electoral Commission of Ghana saying that the electoral budget is going to cost ₵1.2 billion and…we have provision for ₵800 million [so] clearly we have to look for additional money.”

He added that government would also have to raise more money if the elections goes into a run-off.